Double Fine's Pottery Brawler Kiln Sets April Release, Steam Open Beta Announced

Double Fine Productions, the acclaimed studio behind Psychonauts 2, has officially announced that their upcoming multiplayer party brawler Kiln will launch in April for PC and consoles. This follows a series of closed playtests and an open beta on Steam.

Kiln is a unique multiplayer experience where players create their own characters from pottery. It's the latest creative venture from the team responsible for beloved titles like Psychonauts 2, Costume Quest, Brutal Legend, and Stacking.

Players can now register for a series of intriguing closed playtests (with limited spots available) and the game's open beta running from April 9-11, which appears to be exclusive to Steam. The full release is scheduled for April 23 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

The game's origins trace back to 2017 when Double Fine first conceived the idea during a game jam. After being shelved while the studio focused on other projects, the concept has been revived and transformed into what appears to be a surprisingly deep cartoon-style brawler.

Kiln received its comprehensive reveal during Microsoft's recent Xbox Developer Direct in January. Gameplay footage demonstrated how players can sculpt pottery using various tools including sponges, shapers, scrapers, and even their hands.

Players can create pots of diverse shapes, sizes, and types before entering the 4v4 battle mode called Quench. In this mode, teams of pottery characters compete to douse their opponents' kiln. Each pot's design determines its capabilities: larger pots can carry more water to extinguish fires but move more slowly, while smaller pots offer greater agility.

Battlefields are themed around ancient mythology and feature tunnels and pathways accessible only to pots of specific shapes and sizes. Every pot's movement and attack styles vary based on its construction, extending to special moves like popping popcorn, transforming into swords, flinging pies, and other creative abilities.